MTLNOVEL Ch. 99
Chapter 99
* * *
The Fortress City of Ramten, located near the border between the Rivalt Kingdom and the Nogia Empire.
When Yuurai and the others arrived, the town was shrouded in an eerie atmosphere.
What on earth had happened? Monsters were wandering the streets, and countless corpses lay scattered. Furthermore, from the castle courtyard in the center, an ominous dark magic could be felt.
"......What happened here?"
Yuurai stood in a daze atop the outer wall surrounding the town. Claire, Lipia, Gilka, and Deena were also speechless at the bizarre sight. Only Fia smiled with a hint of amusement.
"It doesn't seem to be a simple case of monsters attacking and destroying the town! But something terrible has definitely happened! I don't know why, but I'm getting excited!"
"......Fia. Be quiet for a moment. Umm... I don't know what's going on, but where's Rifiris? Could that dark presence be Rifiris?"
A sinister magic similar to Yuurai's own. It was hard to believe it came from a Hero. However, deep within it, there still seemed to be a trace of Rifiris's holy magic.
Yuurai's primary concern was Rifiris. However, Lipia was worried there might be survivors in the town and asked Yuurai to investigate. Yuurai did a brief search, but unfortunately found no survivors. It seemed there were also monsters with high abilities in human detection.
"Sorry, Lipia. There's nothing I can do for the townspeople. I'm heading to Rifiris."
"Alright......"
Yuurai summoned a giant-type fiend within the town and immediately moved toward the castle.
And then, she found Rifiris.
Rifiris, radiating a pitch-black aura, sat alone, sobbing helplessly.
"Rifiris!"
When Yuurai called out, Rifiris looked up.
"Yuurai...... You shouldn't have come......"
"Rifiris......?"
Rifiris stood up. In the next instant, she had moved right in front of Yuurai.
Before Yuurai could react, Rifiris's fist pierced her heart.
"Rifi...ris......?"
"I'm sorry."
Yuurai's body suddenly burned with intense heat. She was being scorched by holy magic.
"Rifiris!"
Yuurai grabbed Rifiris's arm and activated Absorption, drawing out her magic.
(What is this amount of magical energy...? It's not quite as much as mine, but it must be in the hundreds of thousands...!? And it has both holy and dark attributes. Rifiris, what happened to you...?)
The amount of magical energy was so vast, and with holy attributes mixed in, it couldn't be absorbed quickly.
Yuurai also used Marionette Magic to try to stop Rifiris's movements. However, it was repelled.
Flames ignited on Yuurai's body. The holy fire fiercely consumed her.
"Do not touch the Demon King."
Spikes of earth erupted from the ground, blasting Rifiris's body far away. The only one who could attack with such force, regardless of what happened to Rifiris, was, of course, Fia.
Fia further covered Rifiris with earth. Then, she compressed it, trying to crush her.
"Fia! Don't kill Rifiris!"
"She is the enemy of the Demon King. The Demon King's enemy must be eliminated."
"Fia!"
"......Please rest assured. It seems she has turned into an outrageous monster in the short time we didn't see her. Even with my power, merely restraining her is the best I can do."
The thick mass of earth squirmed, looking as if it might burst at any moment. If it had been the old Rifiris, she would have already been crushed to death.
"Yuurai! The fire!"
Lipia tried to extinguish the flames clinging to Yuurai's body with water magic. However, it seemed to be a type of fire that couldn't be put out with water, and it kept burning.
"......It's okay. If Rifiris moves away, I can extinguish it with my own power."
Once the magic was fully absorbed with Absorption, the fire vanished immediately. However, there was a hole in her chest, and burn marks remained.
Lipia used healing magic to treat Yuurai's wounds. It didn't heal instantly, but the pain subsided.
Claire and Gilka stood before Yuurai and the others.
"......Yuurai. It looks like that girl has become your enemy. We might have no choice but to kill her."
"......It doesn't seem like she's fighting of her own will, but if she can't control herself, we'll have to take appropriate measures."
The two drew their swords and took a stance.
"Wait...... I don't want to kill Rifiris...... If it's not her will, I'll do something about it......"
If I use Mental Manipulation or Perception Disruption, there might still be a chance.
But if Rifiris has gained that much magical power, even Yuurai's magic might be repelled.
Maybe the only options are to kill her or keep a distance.
(We're from the same hometown... We promised to see the world together...)
Yuurai ground her teeth in frustration.
"......Rifiris is probably going berserk because I'm nearby. Maybe Claire and Lipia being here isn't helping either. Let's pull back for now. Once Rifiris calms down, Gilka, I want you to try talking to her. Fia, if anything happens, protect Gilka and Deena."
Each nodded at Yuurai's request.
Then, Yuurai, Claire, and Lipia withdrew for the time being. Not knowing how far they needed to go, they left the town using fiends.
"What happened to Rifiris and this town?"
Yuurai landed outside the wall. She felt relieved, thinking Rifiris wouldn't go on a rampage anymore.
"Ugh, seriously! Even this much distance isn't enough!?"
She sensed five Angels flying toward them.
Yuurai and Claire took battle stances.
"How can we save Rifiris? Is fighting the only option left?"